This Friday, May 16 2014 photo shows the General Motors logo at the company's world headquarters in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

(Newser)
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General Motors says it needs to change or replace the keys for about 3.4 million cars because they could cause the ignition switch to move out of position if they're carrying too much weight. GM said in a statement today that the switches can rotate out of "run" if the key has excess weight and the car "experiences some jarring event," such as hitting a pothole or crossing a railroad track. That can shut off the engines and disable power steering, causing drivers to lose control. Also, the air bags won't work. The recall affects seven cars with model years ranging from 2000 to 2014:

The 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2014 Chevrolet Impala, 2000 to 2005 Cadillac Deville, 2004-2011 Cadillac DTS, the 2006-2011 Buick Lucerne, the 2004 and 2005 Buick Regal LS and GS, and the Chevy Monte Carlo from the 2006 through 2008 model years.

GM says dealers will add an insert to the car keys to change the hole from a slot to a circle. The company says that until the repairs are made, owners should remove everything from their keychains and drive with only the key in the ignition. GM is already recalling 2.6 million older small cars, mostly in the US, for a similar problem with the ignition switch. (See how GM sales are doing despite the recalls.)

BTW: It is not an "insert" to change the slot to a circle, they are actually going to "punch" the material out and make what is currently a slot into a circle (reducing the weight/mass of the key).

Jon Q. Publix

Jun 16, 2014 9:53 PM CDT

The truth of the matter is that America has an overabundance of auto manufacturing capability. We could easily eliminate the less competent players without missing a beat --- or even without losing any jobs. If GM goes down, the other manufacturers will gladly pick up the slack. As far as I'm concerned, GM is already gone. I'll never buy a car from Government Motors.